’Tis the day and the season for giving

You’ve heard about Black Friday sales and you’ve probably heard of Cyber Monday online sales. But do you know about Giving Tuesday?

As the unofficial opening day of the giving season, it’s when charities, companies and individuals can come together to celebrate and rally support for their favourite causes and think about others as the holiday season begins.

In honour of that, the Victoria Foundation is encouraging West Shore and all Capital Region residents to give back in whatever way they can.

To get the ball rolling, the Foundation is launching an online contest where residents can take and share a photo of themselves giving back to the community, whether it’s with their time, talent or treasure.

To be automatically entered, share your photos with the Victoria Foundation on Facebook and include the hashtag #UNselfie and #GivingTuesdayCa, or send them by email to info@victoriafoundation.ca. You’ll be entered to win one of two prizes of $500 to donate to the charity of your choice.

One of last year’s winners was Amanda Evans of the Greater Victoria Green Team, which has spearheaded invasive species removal efforts in View Royal and elsewhere on the West Shore in recent years. Find her story online at bit.ly/2gzOqfN.

Almost 100 non-profit organizations in the Capital Region are involved in Giving Tuesday. To find a full list of participants, go to givingtuesday.ca. For full #UNselfie contest rules and instructions, go to victoriafoundation.ca.